My Life in a World of Pink Camouflage

It was a beautiful day for a triathlon, 70 degrees and sunny. Once again Setup Events put on an awesome and very well organized event held at The Luter Family YMCA in Smithfield, VA…300m pool swim, 10-mile bike, and 5k run.

Pre-race

It was a late start race, 10am, so we drove down the morning of from Stafford. For 569 participants to embark upon a small town YMCA, you would think that the parking and traffic would be a nightmare, but not-at-all. We arrived at 9:00am and parked right across the street from the Y. Seriously… Setup Events has event organization down to a tee. I met up with my Training Partner, Jesse Mastrom (TriFitJesse), picked up my packet, and setup my transition area all within 30 minutes. My swim time was at 11:05am, so I had just over an hour before my start. Tossed down a pack of Power Bar Energy Blasts about 15-minutes before the swim.

Swim

For those who have not done a pool swim before, here’s how it’s done. During registration you’ll enter your estimated 100m-swim time, which, for this event, will place you into 1 of the 5 categories listed below:

0:50 – 1:20 : Super Fast: In contention to win the race and you swim competitively.1:21 – 1:45 : Fast Enough: Still starting in the first 1/3 of the event. (my group)1:46 – 2:10 : Average Swimmer: Swim well enough and don’t need to stop at the end of each lane.2:11 – 2:44 : Novice: Still getting used to this thing called triathlon.2:45 – 4:59 : Complete beginner: I want to start at the back.

Swimmers enter the water one-by-one, in order of bib #, and begin swimming every 10-15 seconds. After each set of 40 swimmers there is a break to clear the lanes. The swim is done in a snake pattern through the lanes and passing is allowed but can be tricky. If you are fast enough to catch the person in front of you, gently tap their feet to communicate that you want to pass. You’ll need to pass on left, but being cautious of the swimmer coming the other way.

My dislike about a pool swim is that there are those that believe they swim much faster than they actually do. I was #224. The person in front of me and behind me chose wisely, however I found myself having to pass two people during the swim and catching up with the feet of a third at the end. Your swim order, and the swim time selected by those around you can greatly affect your swim time, which in-turn affects your overall swim time. Swim Time: 05:32.

Transition

Hopped out of the pool and ran to the transition area, on the wrong side of the racks, went under the bar, shoes, sunglasses, helmet, out. That was it. T1 Time: 01:12.

Bike

Ran out of transition, hit lap on my Garmin 910xt, jumped on the bike, and then realized that my Garmin was in swim mode…WHAT?!?! For a girl who needs to know what her numbers are, this was not going to work. It definitely hurt my time on the bike when I slowed a bit to switch to bike mode. This was a quick 10-mile course with small rollers.

During the pre-race meeting, the event organizers note a steep incline after the sharp left turn onto Bethany Church, which is not quite as steep as made out to be. I pushed through the course, averaging around 20mph. A BIG mistake, however, was underestimating the need for water on the bike since it was only 10 miles. The air was dry and so was I. I took a Power Bar Energy Gel at mile 5 which also helped to soothe my dry throat. Bike time: 30:58.

Transition

My T2 was not as smooth as T1, which was not smooth either. I had too much going on. Normally it would be shoes, visor, and run out of transition with race belt in hand. However, I needed to drink some water and adjust the mode on my Garmin, adding about 15-30 seconds. Not to mention that my bib ripped on one side, so I ran the course with my number hanging. T1 time: 1:34.

Run

The run was good, not great, but good. My legs felt loose, which I’m attributing to keeping a higher cadence on the bike (90-95), so that was good, but I really believe that I could’ve pushed harder. I wouldn’t call the course hilly, I would say rolling since there aren’t really any big climbs. The run was an out and back 5k, closed to traffic, and through a few neighborhoods. The locals are awesome and cheered as we ran past. Run time: 24:41.

Overall

Setup Events always puts on great events, I have never been disappointed. I was looking for a short and fast, early-season tri to work out the kinks, and I found it. It was a diverse group of participants too, including youth, collegiate, competitive age groupers, and first-timers. I placed 1st in my age group and I will definitely be back next year to PR the course.

REV3 Rush features amateur and youth racing, relays and a professional event

January 17, 2014 – REV3 Triathlon is bringing the dynamic fast draft-legal format of racing, called REV3 Rush, to the Richmond International Raceway May 24 & 25. REV3 Rush will feature racing for amateurs in a variety of divisions- standard age groups, mixed relays, club/team relays, and youth/juniors.

REV3 Rush is a triathlon distance of 250-meter swim, 5-mile bike, and a 1.25-mile run. The swim will be in two, 25 meter pools in the center of the raceway. The bike will go along the track and allows drafting or riding in a pack. The run will circle the infield. Each athlete will race a minimum of two races, with various heats through the preliminary heats. The fastest times will then move on to a semi or final heat. In addition, each athlete has the option of racing in a three person relay which will be included in the athlete’s entry fee.

“When I started triathlons in 2001 I was fortunate enough to be able to compete in the super sprint series that was being run in Australia at the time, there was a steep learning curve but one that I am thankful for. The skill set you gain from the fast and furious sprint racing is invaluable, and I am excited that Rev3 is offering these same experiences for juniors as well as the pros.” Mirinda Carfrae, 3x World Champion

The dynamic style of this distance of racing is engaging and centered in an arena so to be spectator friendly. Once the heat exits the pool, and is onto the bike, the next heat goes off. The action will be high and the energy full throttle.

“REV3 is thrilled to be offering this experience to all ages and all abilities,” Charlie Patten, President of Rev3 said. “This format and distance allows all abilities to race in a fun and exciting format. This type of racing will bring out the gym triathletes, those used to swimming in pools and riding spin bikes, as well as the road-versatile triathlete. It truly offers all types of athletes the multisport experience.”

The professional race will feature a swim-bike-run-swim-bike-run format, which is the new format for USA Triathlon’s super sprint distance.

“The Greater Richmond area is known for its active lifestyle, and we look forward to partnering with Revolution 3 on this new and unique event at Richmond International Raceway (RIR),” said Dennis Bickmeier. “Being active and having fun with family and friends are key elements of this event, and when you blend that with RIR as the backdrop, this will be one of those must attend, or must try, events. This will be a great addition to an already very busy 2014 event schedule at RIR.”

Registration will open February 3 for the 2014 REV3 Rush in Richmond. REV3 is looking at two other locations for REV3 Rush for 2014.

Official training for the 2014 triathlon season began last Monday, January 6 at 8:30am in the pool. This was the first time back in the water since the Half Full Triathlon on October 6. My decision to work with Coach Molly Roohi this year was spot on. This is the first year that I am working with a coach, it helps being accountable to someone other than myself for training. I can’t fudge that Garmin upload. This week was full of Zone 1 (Z1) training. So, to give you an idea of how slow I was moving, here are my zones:

Running and biking in Z1 is torture. It takes a lot to not just GO. My runs feel more like power walks. I was passed a few times by a few local snails and turtles on my runs. It is really hard for me to slow down, but I am placing my trust in my coach and the training plan.